Invasion!!! HELP!

[Jobe]

OKay, i never paid super close attention to my substrate till earlier today, when i noticed these white, hair thin, 3-4 milimiter worm like things in the lower damper(and some higher) parts of the substrate. My female keep trying to climb the KK walls too.

The substrate is the same for the Cobalts and my King Baboon sling, but since i didnt damp the soil of the Baboons tank, i cant see these things there...

I think i have found a place i 'might' be able to get vermiculite, but can i use ONLY vermiculite and will my Ts, all obligate burrowers, be able to build burrows that hold in this substance?

Current substrate is potting soil... All i know is i dont trust those wormy thingies, even if they are baby earthworms...suggestions anybody?

 

[MrDeranged]

First of all, get the T out of that tank.

Second of all, vermiculite will not hold burrows well by itself. I suggest mixing it with spahgnum peat moss if you can find it.

Third of all, dump all the substrate out of that tank and sterilize it.

Finally, keep the T that was in that tank seperate from the rest of your collection. You don't know if the T brought those worms in with it and if they can spread or not....

Scott

 

[Jobe]

Done deal scott! thanks for the quick reply

Quite sure the T didnt bring those in as i i always keep a "Control" petry for this particular reason and noticed they were there too after being dampened.

Finally, what the heck is 'spahgnum peat moss'...damn...hate being here where most components for my non-common projects here require substitues

Anyways, the T's are out already ...

again, thanks...

 

[MrDeranged]

Sphagnum peat moss is decayed peat moss that is taken from peat bogs. You should be able to find it at any plant nursery.

Scott

 

[Jobe]

Hmm, if thats the case, ill go look, although i dont think itll go by that name here...also, we dont really have peat bogs here

Whats the reatio of mixing to vermiculite once i get these compounds ?

Do you think i can get the vermiculite from plant nurseries too ?

 

[MrDeranged]

You should be able to get vermiculite at plant nurseries as well. I would say 50/50 should be a fine mixture for most of the haplopelma. Should support burrowing and keep enough moisture in the substrate as well...

Scott

 

[Wade]

If he can't get peat in Malaysia, I bet he can get coconut coir, which is often sold as a peat substitute and is a by-product of coconut farming in SE Asia. It should be fairly cheap there, since it's closer to the source. It's available in the pet trade as Bed a Beast, T-Rex Forest Bed, Eco Earth, etc. Should be cheaper from a greenhouse, however.

Wade

 

[Jobe]

Coconut Coir? is it the thrown husk of the coconut? If so, ill be at my favourite coconut-water stall first thing tommorow...i know the dude there, and im sure he wouldn mind me stealing some of his trash

 

[Wade]

Coconut coir is ground up coconut hulls,it has a peat or soil-like consistancy. Maybe you can grind it up yourself...I don't know how, though :?

Wade

 

[noah]

Yo. Jobe u can get those at the local nursery for RM3.50 which would be enough to fill up one whole huge tank lols...

 

[gagamboy]

its ground coconut husk mixed with soil.... 90% of the hobbiest here in the philippines use it...

but i'm working on a new form of substrate that's perfect for burrowers, low on mites, and low on moss:

mox equal parts of ground coconut husk, and potting soil (use the potting soil with anti-mite properties available at you regular garden store), then mix in 1/2parts of cut coconut fiber about (1-2inches in leangth)... this new type of substarate will not cave-in and will hold moisture nicely...

been using it for more than a month and still no mites despite the damp weather in out counrty....

 

[Thoth]

(use the potting soil with anti-mite properties available at you regular garden store)

This would raise red flags with me becaue anti-mite would be either from pesticides or more "natural" means such as nematodes et c.
Either one is bad news for ts.

Do you what cause it to be anti-mite?

 

[SoupyC]

Yo. Jobe u can get those at the local nursery for RM3.50 which would be enough to fill up one whole huge tank lols...

Hey bud, not being rude, but the last post in that thread was almost 4 years ago. Also, Jobe is inactive now, so he probably won't see this.

Though this could potentially be good for people that have those little worms....

Just so ya know! Take care!
Eric

 

[gagamboy]

Do you what cause it to be anti-mite?

the potting soil is said to have an acidic pH... when i mixed it with the cocopeat i didn't have a mite problem like i did when i used pure cocopeat...

 

[noah]

Hey bud, not being rude, but the last post in that thread was almost 4 years ago. Also, Jobe is inactive now, so he probably won't see this.

Though this could potentially be good for people that have those little worms....

Just so ya know! Take care!
Eric

ello yeah .. i'm new sorry i just got a tarantula(B.smihti) myself. new to this whole forum thing and to tarantulas i'm really an idiot in this kinda forum thing. so forgive me if i do some really unpredictable moronic things here.
i have a question erm can my T burrow in 100% peatmoss? i manage to get it in malaysia which is surprising.
my T only had its first moult on 28/6/06 so u can imagine how small it is .. and i got it for bout USD12 in thailand on my hols. was that reasonable?

 

[SoupyC]

ello yeah .. i'm new sorry i just got a tarantula(B.smihti) myself. new to this whole forum thing and to tarantulas i'm really an idiot in this kinda forum thing. so forgive me if i do some really unpredictable moronic things here.
i have a question erm can my T burrow in 100% peatmoss? i manage to get it in malaysia which is surprising.
my T only had its first moult on 28/6/06 so u can imagine how small it is .. and i got it for bout USD12 in thailand on my hols. was that reasonable?

Hey, no its no problem! Everyone has to start somewhere!

As for your second question: That depends on what kind of peat moss. I believe if you use the ground up, kinda dirt looking brown stuff, that they won't have too much trouble, but you dont want to use Sphagnum (sp.) peat. It doesnt hold its consistency as well. Though if I recall correctly, most people have better luck with burrowers in coconut coir.

Enjoy!

 

[Thoth]

the potting soil is said to have an acidic pH... when i mixed it with the cocopeat i didn't have a mite problem like i did when i used pure cocopeat...

There must be more to it because peat moss is acidic and people still end up with mite infestation.


Yes peat, is good for burrowers and holds the burrows nicely.

 

[OldHag]

Maybe they're grindal worms...

 

[rospin]

where do mites come from?

 

[ghost6303]

first off i want to point out this thread is over 4 years old incase no one noticed.

and to answer rospin mites can come from just about anything, unsterile substrate, cage decorations, crickets/roaches, just about anything you put in the tank that isnt sterile.